How Can I Ease Abdominal Bloating And Loss Of Appetite At Home
In addition to following your doctors recommended treatment plan, taking simple steps at home may help relieve your symptoms.
If your bloating and loss of appetite are caused by something youve eaten, your symptoms may resolve on their own with time. Increasing your water intake and going for a walk may help relieve your indigestion. Staying well-hydrated and exercising regularly can also help prevent and relieve constipation.
Eating small meals with bland foods, such as crackers, toast, or broth, may help soothe your stomach in cases of intestinal infections. As the condition that caused your bloating starts to improve, you should notice your appetite returning.
Taking over-the-counter medications may also help relieve your symptoms. For example, simethicone can help relieve gas or flatulence. Calcium carbonate and other antacids can help relieve acid reflux, indigestion, or heartburn.
If your abdominal bloating and loss of appetite are related to certain foods, avoid them whenever possible. Some foods that commonly cause these symptoms include:
Am I At Risk Of Heart Failure
Heart failure is often the result of a number of problems affecting the heart at the same time, added the national health body.
This can include heart disease, high blood pressure, arrhythmias, and cardiomyopathy.
In some cases, anaemia, drinking too much alcohol, an overactive thyroid or pulmonary hypertension can lead to heart failure.
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When To Seek Help
According to the NHS, if you recognise one or more of the symptoms of bowel cancer or if your bloating symptoms persist, consult your GP to rule out a more serious condition.
In most cases, however, simple lifestyle adjustments should help to alleviate your bloating.
If you get constipation, for example, take steps to prevent it by adding more fibre to your diet, drinking lots of fluids and exercising regularly, advises the NHS.
Even a 20 to 30 minute brisk walk four times a week can improve your bowel function, explains the health body.
It is also worth keeping a food diary as this can help to determine whether your bloating is caused by a food intolerance.
The best approach if you have a food intolerance is to eat less of the problem food or cut it out completely, adds the NHS.
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Gastroparesis Is A Gastrointestinal Condition Occurring In People With Long
with Mahdusudan Grover, MD, and Michael Camilleri, MD
Gastroparesis gets little attention even though it is a relatively common complication arising in many individuals with diabetesboth type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Its even more common in individuals with both diabetes and obesity.1
If you have diabetes, stomach pains, bloating, and nausea may be a sign that you gastroparesis. Photo: 123rf
Common symptoms include feeling full before you can finish your meal and staying full long after the meal is over as well as bloating, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and even nutritional deficiencies.1,2
According to results of one study,3 as many as 29% of patients with these gastric symptoms also have diabetes and may experience nerve problems in their stomach, similar to that of peripheral neuropathy that causes tingling and numbness, even pain, in the extremities. Poor blood sugar control may also be a contributing factor.4
If you have had diabetes for a while, this might explain the abdominal pain and other baffling symptoms youve been experiencing after you eat.
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What Exactly Does It Mean To Feel Bloated
A common misconception about bloating is that its always the result of eating too big a meal. To doctors, it usually means an excess of gas in the gastrointestinal region, causing abdominal discomfort and distension.
Causes can range from an imbalance of bacteria, to eating too much fiber, to not eating enough. When you take antibiotics, the bacteria responsible for breaking down complex carbohydrates may fail and produce gas. The most common causes of bloating, however, are swallowing too much air and eating too fast.
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What Is Stomach Churning
Stomach churning and gurgling can be an uncomfortable feeling in the abdomen. Although a queasy stomach is usually only temporary if you have an upset stomach for a week or longer it could be a sign of an underlying condition.
If you have ever experienced stomach growling, especially stomach gurgling after eating, then you may well know the other symptoms that run alongside it. Other symptoms of a sour stomach can include nausea and digestive issues.
Moreover, continue reading to find out what causes upset stomach and gas. We also explain when you should see a doctor, and further signs to look out for.
Stomach Noises such as stomach churning and gurgling and Pain: Causes and Symptoms for Those Belly Noises and Cramps
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Gastroparesis In A Patient With Diabetic Ketoacidosis
A 40-year-old man with type 1 diabetes mellitus and recurrent renal calculi presented to the emergency department with nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain for the past day. He had been checking his blood glucose level regularly, and it had usually been within the normal range until 2 or 3 days previously, when he stopped taking his insulin because he ran out and could not afford to buy more.
He said he initially vomited clear mucus but then had 2 episodes of black vomit. His abdominal pain was diffuse but more intense in his flanks. He said he had never had nausea or vomiting before this episode.
In the emergency department, his heart rate was 136 beats per minute and respiratory rate 24 breaths per minute. He appeared to be in mild distress, and physical examination revealed a distended abdomen, decreased bowel sounds on auscultation, tympanic sound elicited by percussion, and diffuse abdominal tenderness to palpation without rebound tenderness or rigidity. His blood glucose level was 993 mg/dL, and his anion gap was 36 mmol/L.
Computed tomography showed new severe gastric distention a scan 11 months previously to look for renal stones had been normal . The patients presentation, physical examination, and laboratory and radiographic investigations narrowed the working diagnosis to gastric outlet obstruction or acute gastroparesis, but since CT showed no obstructing mass, the diagnosis of acute gastroparesis that coexisted with diabetic ketoacidosis was more likely.
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Diabetes Symptoms And Diagnosis
The most common symptoms of any type of diabetes are extreme thirst and frequent urination, increased appetite, fatigue or exhaustion, dry skin, and vision changes . In more severe cases, symptoms can include unexplained weight loss or gain, slow-healing injuries, frequent illness or infections , and pain or numbness in the hands or feet. Long-term complications of diabetes can include kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, vision loss, and lower limb amputation.4 Those with type 2 diabetes might not experience any symptoms at first, or just one symptom, such as feeling slightly thirstier than previously. Type 1 diabetes tends to be more severe, especially in young children, who can experience weight loss and failure to thrive.
Your physician will order blood tests to assess fasting glucose as well as your average glucose levels over the last two to three months and, depending on your results, will determine whether you have normal levels, prediabetes, or some form of diabetes.
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Eating More Calories Than Usual
Lets face it. When youre off your schedule, sometimes the most interesting thing you can do is bake. But consuming excess calories especially those found in cookies, cakes and bread can pack on the pounds and cause your belly to bloat.
If cooking is your jam while sheltering in place, reserve high-calorie recipes for special occasions, or cut it back to one meal a week.
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Causes Of Stomach Bloat
High fiber foods that might cause this are beans, dairy products, and even some fruits and vegetables, such as:
- Brussels sprout
Overeating or eating too fast can also be triggers.
Bloat could also be a sign of greater, underlying conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome , Lactose intolerance, or even a wheat allergy. Stomach bloat can also be a result of consuming too much salt on a daily basis, causing your stomach to keep excess water.
You Could Have A Food Intolerance
While lactose intolerance is the most well-known food intolerance, other common culprits include wheat and even some types of sugar such as raffinose, which is more difficult for the body to break down. Beans and legumes contain raffinose and can give many people that bloated, gassy feeling which is where that infamous childhood song comes from.
One type of food intolerance, FODMAP intolerance, is known to contribute to IBS symptoms in as many as 50 to 80 percent of patients. The term FODMAP is actually an acronym standing for multiple types of carbohydrates, such as oligosaccharides and disaccharides, which may be more difficult for some people to digest than others. If your doctor suspects this is the issue, they may put you on an elimination diet to see if your symptoms go away when youre not eating these foods.
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Small Intestinal Bowel Overgrowth
Symptoms
Small intestinal bowel overgrowth is when theres an abnormal increase in the bacteria that live in your small intestine, such as E. coli or Klebsiella.
Several things can lead to SIBO. Surgery of the intestines that changes your anatomy can cause it. Decreased motility of the small intestine caused by IBS, diabetes, or opioid drugs can also cause SIBO. And people who have a weakened immune system have a higher risk of SIBO.
SIBO can interfere with your bodys ability to absorb nutrients from your food, which can lead to vitamin deficiencies.
SIBO can be diagnosed using a non-invasive carbohydrate breath test. Your doctor may also recommend an endoscopy and colonoscopy to rule out other diseases.
Treatment may include dietary changes, nutritional supplements, and antibiotics to control bacterial overgrowth.
Gastroparesis Affects 12 To 15% Of People Living With Diabetes
What is gastroparesis?
Gastroparesis is a condition when the stomach takes a long time to empty its contents into the small intestine. It is also referred to as delayed gastric emptying, gastric stasis, slow stomach, lazy stomach, and diabetic enteropathy. It usually occurs in people who have been living with diabetes for at least 10 years, and typically presents together with complications of the eye, kidney and others linked to the nervous system.
Normally, when food is swallowed, the muscles in the stomach wall help break the food down into smaller pieces, pushing it into the small intestine to continue digestion. This action is controlled by the vagus nerve, part of the so-called autonomic nervous system, which automatically regulates many bodily functions such as breathing and heart rhythm. If the vagus nerve is damaged or stops working, the muscles in the stomach and intestines do not function normally, and the movement of food stops or slows down. If the food stays in the stomach too long, the food ferments and causes an overgrowth of gas-producing bacteria.
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How Can You Deal With A Bloated Stomach
Establishing your precise symptoms should offer a clear indication into the root cause of your swollen stomach, and at this stage, you can begin to plot a clear course of action. This is crucial, as the failure to distinguish between fat and a bloated stomach causes many to categorise swelling as a trivial and unimportant problem that only impacts on their physical appearance.
This is a significant oversight, as a bloated stomach may also be indicative of a serious health concern known as dysbiosis. This refers to an imbalance that exists between good and bad bacteria within your stomach, where unhealthy and unnatural organisms such as yeast and protozoa become prominent in the intestines and alter the bodies fundamental nutrition patterns.
This imbalance, which hinders the growth of the 400 organisms that are naturally found in the stomach, can cause a multitude of health complaints in addition to bloating .
So if you have determined that your stomach is bloated rather than covered in excess fat, here are some initial steps you can take to manage this problem:
Are Gas And Bloating The Same Thing
Short answer: no. Gas and bloating are two separate symptoms that can both cause you discomfort after eating. While intestinal gas can be one cause of bloating, bloating is not synonymous with gassiness. In addition to the buildup of gas in the intestines, bloating may also result from excess liquids or solids in your system, as well as other medical causes some of which include IBS, IBD, celiac disease and ovarian cancer, as previously discussed.
Many people also confuse bloating with water retention. In reality, the symptoms of bloating reach far beyond the mere retention of fluids. Sometimes, there may not even be a physical cause of bloating in the sense that you may feel excess pressure in your abdomen, even when nothing is physically present there or overeating isnt a factor. If youre still confused about whether what youre experiencing is bloating or merely gas, we recommend consulting your primary care provider for a more thorough evaluation of your symptoms.
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What Causes Bloating In The Stomach
Gas
Gas is a natural byproduct of digestion, but too much intestinal gas means your digestion is gone awry. While you can ingest gasses by swallowing air or drinking carbonated beverages, these gasses mostly escape through belching before they reach your intestines. Gasses in your intestines are mostly produced by gut bacteria digesting carbohydrates, in a process called fermentation.
If theres too much fermentation going on, its because too many carbohydrates werent naturally absorbed earlier in the digestive process, before reaching those gut bacteria. That could be for several reasons. Maybe you just ate too much too fast for proper digestion. Or you might have a specific food intolerance or gastrointestinal disease. Some possible causes include:
Digestive Contents
These can include solids, liquids, and gas. Digestive contents can build up in your digestive system when there is a backup or restriction in your digestive tract or when the muscles that move digestive contents along are somehow impaired. Any build-up of digestive contents along the digestive tract will leave less room for normal amounts of gas to process through. It also leaves less room for other things in your abdomen, including circulatory fluids and fat, making everything feel tighter. Causes of build-up can include:
Hormones
Other Causes
What Affects The Microbiome Composition
This is still being reviewed but here are some of the common causes of microbiome problems:
- Past and present diet. Diets that lack diversity lack adequate fruits and vegetables and lack high fiber whole grains. Drinking too much alcohol. Eating refined sugars and processed foods. Refined sugar and processed foods increase inflammation and encourages yeast formation in the gut. Artificial sweeteners are questionable and some believe ingesting them may cause bacteria growth that triggers fat storage.
- Antibiotics are needed to kill bad bacteria, but they can also wipe out good bacteria and wreck your microbiome leading to bad bacteria overgrowth.
- Steroids/NSAIDS . These medications may be needed for inflammation and pain relief but in high doses can cause stomach lining disruption and irritation producing stomach lesions which ultimately change your microbiome.
- Lack of physical activity
- Smoking cigarettes
- Too much stress. Stress increases secretion of cortisol, reduces oxygen flow to the gut and changes gut bacteria.
- Lack of sleep. Both the quantity and quality of your sleep may change in Circadian rhythm which can disrupt gut bacteria.
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Can Bloating Be Prevented Or Avoided
There are many ways to prevent and avoid bloating:
- Avoid the foods that are known to cause gas. These include cabbage, Brussels sprouts, turnips, beans, and lentils.
- Avoid chewing gum.
- Avoid using straws for drinking.
- Reduce or avoid drinking carbonated drinks .
- Reduce or avoid eating and drinking foods that include fructose or sorbitol. These artificial sweeteners are often found in sugar-free foods.
- Eat more foods high in fiber to prevent constipation. If foods alone dont help, consider taking a fiber supplement.
- Avoid dairy products if you notice they cause gas and bloating.
Causes Of A Bloated Stomach
Although most people will describe their bloating differently than the next person, most cases come down to a few key causes. In general, these are lifestyle factors that can be mitigated or resolved with some simple tweaks to your diet and habits. But theres never any harm with discussing how youre feeling and what steps you can take to feel better with your doctor if youre concerned.
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How Is Ascites Treated
Limiting sodium in your diet is crucial for treating ascites. For people with ascites, recommended sodium intake is less than 2,000 to 4,000 milligrams a day.
A dietitian can help create a healthy eating plan for you. You may also need to take diuretics . These water pills help fluid and sodium leave your body.
Maybe You Have An Underlying Issue
Again, we dont want to cause any alarm. Most causes of a bloated stomach can be addressed with simple lifestyle tweaks. But if your bloating and gas gets in the way of your daily life, talk to your doctor. Theyll know what to test to see if you have an underlying issue, like the ones we mentioned earlier. Functional gut disorders, such as IBS, frequently lead to a bloated stomach: as many as 60% of patients with IBS report bloating as a primary symptom.
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